About Me

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Rehab was full of emotion. Disappointment, hope, anger, frustration, joy. Amazing people. The first night was sleepless as the man in the adjacent bed made anguished noises all night. Tubes into the body to assist breathing. Again and again and again. Temperaturefluctuations so severe even the doctors paniced. The first therapy was a Sunday morning. Off to the gym. Two men gave us hope and showed Jed that he could at least assimilate a sense of balance (for seconds.) Their joy was fresh light on the day and tears in the night. And then the standing board. Flat on the board and gently moving to an upright position. Blood pressure so low, how can he live. Feet up, head down, feet up, head down. A litany of saving motions. The body has no memory of how to function. It must be totally retrained.

And then one night Jed dreamed. He dreamed of "dirty dirt and sharp white sand. " We cried together as he shared the dream. It was a vision of God's great gifts that we don't recognize and pass by as nothing important. We began to recognize "the fall" as a gift. One that we would not have chosen, but a gift. Stark, simple, unwanted gift. As we began to open the gift and look carefully at it we saw God's people. Everywhere. Doing their jobs, extending themselves for our benefit. We open our hearts and received the blessings.

Therapy continued. Friends were made. They continue to work their magic with new faces and injuries. They remain a hope giving part of our lives. Marcella, Mike, Elaine, Ernie....and more. They were there for us. Jerry, our nurse. His story can give hope and promise to anyone who listens. His strength and understanding of the process of healing is food for a pained soul. Therapy at Loma Linda was good. It was comfortable and became like family. Singing and piano playing were part of the day. But, right as we began to feel that healing was a possibility for us in rehab, we were told that Jed would be going home. HOME? You've got to be kidding. "Get your team together, because you can't do this on you own." Was the "comforting" instruction I got from the social worker. TEAM? What team? We filed an extension request (appeal) with Medicare. We got two extra days.